Competitive Position of Central European Economies as Reflected in International Rankings

The aim of this paper is to analyze the development of the competitive position of Central European countries - Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary - in the light of international competitiveness rankings between 2004 and 2014. The hypothesis put forward here is that these countries' membership in the European Union contributed to improving their competitive position. The paper consists of three parts. The first one presents selected definitions of international competitiveness, coined both by economists and international organizations. Next, selected international competitiveness rankings are discussed, as well as the methods of constructing them.(original abstract)